Clark joined Sufjan Stevens' touring band in 2006, bringing with her a tour EP entitled Paris Is Burning. It contains three tracks, including a cover version of Jackson Browne's These Days.
Clark released her début album, Marry Me, 10 July 2007 on Beggars Banquet Records. Named after a line from the cult-hit television show Arrested Development, the LP features appearances from drummer Brian Teasley (Man or Astro-man?, The Polyphonic Spree), Mike Garson (David Bowie's longtime pianist), and horn player Louis Schwadron (The Polyphonic Spree).
In 2008 Clark was nominated for three PLUG Independent Music Awards: New Artist of the Year, Female Artist of the Year, and Music Video of the Year, and on 6 March 2008, she won the Female Artist of the Year award.
Her second album for 4AD, entitled Actor, was released on 5 May 2009. It was written entirely by Clark and produced by Clark and John Congleton of The Paper Chase.
The Strange Mercy Songfacts reports that Clark wrote her third album in Seattle. She decamped to the Northwestern city to escape from the information overload she was experiencing at home and recorded Strange Mercy in a studio provided by Death Cab For Cutie drummer Jason McGerr. The album was released by 4AD on September 12, 2011 and peaked at #19 on the Billboard 200, making it her first Top 20 LP.
2) A pseudonym of singer-songwriter Vincent Bernardy, who has written and recorded music since 1980. see also St. Vincent Folk
3) A singer/songwriter from Victoria, Australia.
Digital Witness
St. Vincent Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Get back, gnashing teeth
Ooh, I want all of your mind
People turn the TV on, it looks just like a window, yeah
People turn the TV on, it looks just like a window, yeah
Digital witnesses, what's the point of even sleeping?
What's the point of doing anything?
This is no time for confessing
I want all of your mind
People turn the TV on, it looks just like a window, yeah
People turn the TV on, it looks just like a window, yeah
Digital witnesses, what's the point of even sleeping?
If I can't show it, if you can't see me
Watch me jump right off the London Bridge
This is no time for confessing
People turn the TV on and throw it out the window, yeah
Get back to your stare
I care, but I don't care
Oh oh, I, I want all of your mind
Give me all of your mind
I want all of your mind
Give me all of it
Digital witnesses, what's the point of even sleeping?
If I can't show it, if you can't see me
What's the point of doing anything?
What's the point of even sleeping?
So I stopped sleeping, yeah I stopped sleeping
Won't somebody sell me back to me?
The lyrics to St. Vincent's "Digital Witness" seem to critique the current digital age and society's increasing reliance on technology and social media. The lines "People turn the TV on, it looks just like a window" suggest that people are often passively consuming digital media while ignoring the world around them. The repetition of "I want all of your mind" throughout the song further emphasizes this idea, as though the singer is demanding complete attention from their audience.
The chorus "Digital witnesses, what's the point of even sleeping?" suggests that the constant exposure to digital media and the pressure to constantly share and document one's life can lead to a feeling of being constantly on display. The line "Watch me jump right off the London Bridge" could be interpreted as a metaphor for someone seeking attention and validation through dangerous or extreme actions.
The final lines "So I stopped sleeping, yeah I stopped sleeping / Won't somebody sell me back to me?" suggest a sense of disorientation and a desire to break away from the constant stimulation and demands of digital life. The singer seems to be struggling with a loss of identity and a longing for a simpler, more authentic existence.
Line by Line Meaning
Get back, to your seat
Please settle and focus
Get back, gnashing teeth
Please settle and focus, even if you're frustrated
Ooh, I want all of your mind
I am seeking your undivided attention and focus
People turn the TV on, it looks just like a window, yeah
When individuals watch TV, they perceive a false reality as a window to the real world
Digital witnesses, what's the point of even sleeping?
People online are constantly watching and judging others, making it feel pointless to rest
If I can't show it, if you can't see me
If I can't display my life online, then my actions and experiences are useless
This is no time for confessing
I don't want to hear your personal issues right now, stay focused
Watch me jump right off the London Bridge
If I can't be seen or recognized online, I may as well make a public scene and gain attention in other ways
People turn the TV on and throw it out the window, yeah
People are frustrated with being tricked by media and seek to reject it entirely
Get back to your stare
Return your attention to the matter at hand
I care, but I don't care
I want you to focus and do well, but I am not emotionally invested
Give me all of your mind
I still need you to focus and pay attention to me
What's the point of doing anything?
If I can't broadcast and gain recognition for my actions, are they even worth doing?
So I stopped sleeping, yeah I stopped sleeping
I refuse to rest until I can gain the attention I crave
Won't somebody sell me back to me?
I've lost myself to the need for online recognition and crave a return to my true self
Lyrics © Hipgnosis Songs Group
Written by: ANNE ERIN CLARK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@diamoond11
Get back, to your seat
Get back, gnashing teeth
Ooh, I want all of your mind
People turn the TV on, it looks just like a window, yeah
People turn the TV on, it looks just like a window, yeah
Digital witnesses, what's the point of even sleeping?
If I can't show it, if you can't see me
What's the point of doing anything?
This is no time for confessing
I want all of your mind
People turn the TV on, it looks just like a window, yeah
People turn the TV on, it looks just like a window, yeah
Digital witnesses, what's the point of even sleeping?
If I can't show it, if you can't see me
Watch me jump right off the London Bridge
This is no time for confessing
People turn the TV on and throw it out the window, yeah
Get back to your stare
I care, but I don't care
Oh oh, I, I want all of your mind
Give me all of your mind
I want all of your mind
Give me all of it
Digital witnesses, what's the point of even sleeping?
If I can't show it, if you can't see me
What's the point of doing anything?
What's the point of even sleeping?
So I stopped sleeping, yeah I stopped sleeping
Won't somebody sell me back to me?
@LuisBarajas
I envy her facial bone structure. She's absolutely beautiful and extremely talented.
@OlafavonGoeding
Absolutely agree! Stunningly beautiful (and incredibly talented)
@davidcook3116
Sometimes you're really late to a party. Just discovering St. Vincent. This is a brilliant composition.
@dethmaul
I discovered her on SNL on the work tv on shift. I stopped dead to watch it. Maybe 2013?
@JSlice-gk5br
about a decade
@esteovo7910
same here!
@schnitzelmopi
Ah hell yeah dude. Welcome! I come back here often. Been here for a decade. Austin, TX native.
@imtonysopro
Please check out The Hood Internets Digital Humpty.
@HermitMoth
Love this. It's like modernized 80's music. Not saying it's unoriginal at all, because it's totally awesome and unique. There's just some influences that shine though like The Talking Heads which is cool.
@MrIkesimba
Unique?!?! Laurie Anderson was doing this same pretentious shit 30 years ago.